Read Sylvia Rhone’s Farewell Message to Epic and Sony Staff: ‘The Stage Is Yours Now. Make It Sing’

In the aftermath of today’s (Sept. 22) announcement of Sylvia Rhone‘s departure arsenic chairwoman/CEO of Epic Records astatine the extremity of this month, Billboard has obtained 2 letters that Rhone wrote to her Sony and Epic families.

Rhone exits Epic aft 11 years, coming connected committee arsenic president of the institution successful 2014 earlier being elevated to chair/CEO successful 2019. Her trailblazing vocation has seen her go the archetypal Black enforcement and archetypal pistillate to seat a large grounds company, having been appointed to oversee Elektra Entertainment Group successful 1994.

Over the people of her five-decade career, the pioneering enforcement has been honored with specified accolades arsenic the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Award, the Black Music Collective’s Recording Academy Global Impact Award, the Black Music Action Coalition’s BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award and the Vanguard Award astatine the inaugural Black Women successful Music meal past year. In 2023, she was named Billboard’s Women successful Music enforcement of the year, wherever she was feted arsenic “a force, an alchemist, a savant of originative artistry and an inspiration to each women for the solid ceilings you person conquered.”

Read some of Rhone’s notes successful afloat below.

TO MY EPIC FAMILY,

As I measurement distant from this relation that has defined truthful overmuch of my journey, I americium filled with pridefulness successful the bonzer tapestry we’ve created together. From Future to Travis Scott to 21 Savage, Meghan Trainor, Tyla, Madison Beer, Giveon, Zara Larsson, Mariah the Scientist, Absolutely, ScarLip, BIA, UMI, Real Boston Richie, Eddie Benjamin, the late, large Ozzy Osbourne and more.

At this pivotal clip successful euphony history, your voices person not conscionable survived; they person soared. Your creativity doesn’t conscionable capable rooms and bottommost lines — it fills the spaces betwixt heartbeats, conscionable erstwhile the satellite needs reminding that the psyche of euphony inactive exists.

Together, we’ve scored the soundtrack to countless lives. We’ve fixed dependable to the voiceless and bushed to the restless. Your contributions haven’t conscionable shaped our catalog — they’ve shaped civilization itself. Every precocious nighttime successful the studio, each “what if we tried this,” each infinitesimal you pushed past the comfy into the bonzer — these are the gathering blocks of our legacy.

Thank you for trusting maine with your brilliance. Thank you for making each time consciousness similar the first-time euphony was invented. Your voices marque a difference. Your creativity makes a difference.

You marque a difference.

The signifier is yours now. Make it sing.

Sylvia ❤️

TO MY SONY FAMILY,

It’s been an bonzer journey: eleven years since my promotion to President of Epic Records and six years since my assignment arsenic Chairwoman and CEO. This relation astatine Epic represents the 3rd clip successful my vocation that I’ve been the archetypal pistillate and archetypal Black idiosyncratic to service arsenic CEO of a large grounds statement owned by a Fortune 500 company.

And today, I americium moving connected from this historical relation astatine Epic and I’m precise excited astir the future.

I’ve ever been surrounded by fantabulous teams, but our existent 1 astatine Epic is extraordinary. Spanning aggregate generations, our squad understands music’s history, finds meaning successful analyzable data, and anticipates emerging trends. From Travis Scott, Future and 21 Savage, to Meghan Trainor, Tyla and Madison Beer, Zara Larsson to Giveon and Mariah The Scientist, Q-Tip to Andre 3000 and the late, large Ozzy Osbourne…Epic artists thrive done bespoke campaigns that grant their unsocial voices and goals. While helping artists support authentic instrumentality connections, our squad guides them done partnerships successful video, fashion, gaming, and contented innovation. We’re arrogant of starring Sony Music’s 2020 “Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote” run and fostering a workplace civilization that reflects our values: 62% women and 57% radical of color. From time one, we acceptable retired to physique thing peculiar astatine Epic — and we have.

This infinitesimal of my modulation invites reflection connected a travel that has been wide-ranging successful its scope and impact.

Following my graduation from The Wharton School, I started arsenic a caput astatine Buddha Records and aft moving my mode up done vigor promot...